Deadly Misconceptions
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: They all thought they knew Tim McGee. They thought he was a decent, honest. law abiding agent. They are about to find out how wrong they were. Tim McGee is nothing like he appears. How will the team handle it when they learn the truth? What will they do when they realize how gravely they misjudged their teammate? And will they even live long enough to figure it out?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of its characters. **

**Deadly Misconceptions**

Timothy McGee walked through the bullpen smiling, as he did almost every morning. Almost everyone there thought his smile was his way of giving a warm greeting. They were wrong. He was smiling more times than not because he was laughing his ass off at their ignorance.

Everyone around Tim thought he was a mild mannered, naïve agent. They believed he was kind, honest, and friendly by nature. Again, they were wrong. He was none of those things. What he was, was something they'd run away from if they ever saw it. Not that they'd get very far.

"Hey, Probie," Tony said as Tim made his way over.

"Tony," Tim said with a smile. Tony was example number one. He misjudged Tim more than just about anyone, so much so that he called him names and pulled practical jokes on him at every turn. If Tony knew who he really was, he wouldn't dare do any of that. Not even Anthony DiNozzo was that suicidal.

"Good morning, McGee," Ziva greeted.

"Good morning, Ziva," Tim said as he sat down and turned his computer on. Ziva was probably the only one she didn't laugh at. True, she was just as naïve as the others when it came to her, but he respected her. She was a part of the same world as him. That entitled her to a certain level of respect.

"How was your weekend?" Ziva asked.

"It was good. I stayed home and caught up on some reading," Tim lied. His weekend was very good, but it was not spent reading.

"You are so boring McDull. You need to get out there and meet a woman for crying out loud. Otherwise, I'm going to start to think the rumors about you being gay were true," Tony said.

"You mean the rumors you started?" Tim asked.

"You told people he was gay?" Ziva asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, apparently he didn't like the competition," Tim said.

"Ha! Please, like you could be competition for me," Tony said as though it were ridiculous.

"You cannot tell people that someone is gay, Tony. The world may have evolved to a certain point, but there is still bigotry in the world. Who knows what could've happened to him?" Ziva asked.

"Well, thank you, Ziva, but I'm fine. I was never worried about that," Tim said. And that was true. If anyone had even tried to lay a hand on him, they would've found it to be the last thing they ever did.

"Still, it was not right. Though I do agree that you should go out more," Ziva said.

"See? It's two against one, Probie. Come out with me this weekend. We'll pick up chicks," Tony said.

"No thanks, Tony," Tim said. Truthfully, Tim already had someone in his life he was interested had for a while now. He was just waiting for the right time to make his move.

"Come on, Probie, live a little," Tony said.

"He can live later. We gotta marine at Quantico who won't be living ever again. Grab your gear," Gibbs ordered as he moved passed them to his desk.

They all grabbed their things and headed for the elevator

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Gibbs walked over to Ducky who was knelt over their dead body. "What do you got for me, Duck?"

"Well, I won't know for sure until I get him on the table, but I'd say that the multiple stab wounds are cause of death. It probably happened between eight to ten hours ago," Ducky said.

"Anything else?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, yes. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand," Ducky said as he held the said piece of paper out for him.

Gibbs took the offered paper and read it. It said 'Gli Diavolo' "Italian."

"Do you know what it means?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs nodded curtly. He didn't know a lot of Italian, but he knew this. "The devil."

At that moment, the others walked over. "You find something, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Gibbs said before showing them.

Ziva gasped as soon as she saw it and showed a rare look of terror.

Tim knew the significance of that piece of paper as well, but he kept his face impassive.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. This had to be the first time he'd ever seen Ziva truly afraid. It wasn't the first time she had been afraid, but she was usually very good at hiding it. This time she looked terrified. "Something you want to share, Ziva."

"He is here," Ziva said with a shudder.

Gibbs stood up and gave her a hard look. "Who?"

"What does that even mean anyway?" Tony asked pointing to the paper.

"Gli Diavolo. It is Italian for The Devil. He is known through much of the world. Germany, Italy, Israel, and several others. Every person he kills is left with something on the body saying 'Gli Diavolo'," Ziva explained.

"He's a serial killer?" Tony asked.

Ziva shook her head. "No. He does not have any pattern to make him a serial killer. He does not go after a specific type. We believe him to be an assassin. A very notorious one."

"For who? And what's his name?" Gibbs asked. That was the most important question. He needed to know who he was looking for.

"I do not know the answer to either of those questions. No one does. Anyone who has ever seen his face, ended up dead. No one knows his name or what he looks like. We don't know where he's from or who he works for. We just know he exists and that no one has ever survived once he's set his sights on them," Ziva said.

"You're afraid of him," Tony said. It wasn't a question. Her fear was evident.

"There are not many that Mossad fears, but he is one of them. He is a sociopath who has killed hundreds if not thousands of people. No one has ever been able to stop him. No one has even gotten close enough to see who he is and live to tell about it," Ziva said.

"Well, that's gonna change. He doesn't kill a marine without paying for it. We're gonna find this bastard and bring him down. Let's head back," Gibbs said before leading the way.

Tim waited for them to leave before finally tearing down his mask. Anyone who saw him would see a very pissed off Timothy McGee. And it wasn't the kind of anger that happened when Tony pulled some stupid prank. This was a 'someone is gonna die' kind of anger. And someone was.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I edited the first chapter of this story slightly, so if you read it last night, you may want to reread it.**

Tim was sitting at his desk in the bullpen. He heard talk around him from Ziva and Tony about their current case, mainly about the killer. Tim himself was thinking about him as well. He was thinking about what he was going to do to the bastard when he got his hands on him.

Oh, it wasn't that Tim wanted justice for the marine. He couldn't care less about the marine or why was killed. He just didn't appreciate being impersonated. Yes, he was Gli Diavolo. He was responsible for the murders of more people than it was possible to count without a calculator. But he didn't kill that marine. Some idiot had decided to cover up his own murder by blaming it on a professional. Unfortunately for him, he'd chosen the wrong person to blame it on.

"So how much do you know about this guy, Ziva?" Tony asked. He couldn't help but be intrigued. Ziva had seemed really spooked by their killer. He'd never seen her that way before.

"I said everything I knew at the crime scene. Gli Diavolo is a professional killer. He has carried out hits in over a dozen countries and he has never been found. No one has even seen his face," Ziva said.

Tim smirked inwardly. It was true. No one had seen him, at least no one alive to tell about it. That was how he managed to stay off the radar. There were never any witnesses, never anyone who could ID him or sell him out. He never allowed that. If someone had the misfortune of seeing his face, they were quickly dealt with.

"But how come he's got you so freaked out? I've never seen you like this. I mean, he's not the first assassin you've come across. You are an assassin for crying out loud," Tony said.

"A few years before I came here, there were a couple of murders in Israel; it quickly became apparent that it was the work of Gli Diavolo. A lot of us in Mossad wanted to go after him. My father refused. He said that no one in Mossad would ever be taking on The Devil. He had apparently looked into the man and learned what he was capable of doing. My father shared it with me and it was definitely something to fear. He has killed some very high profile people. Politicians, mob affiliates, different government employees. We're talking about very powerful men. And no one he's gone after has ever escaped him. My father did not want to draw Gli Davolo's attention to Mossad," Ziva explained.

"He didn't want to be the next victim," Tim said.

"Correct. He was afraid. Some of those people he knew. They were as strong as him and they were dead because of this man. I wasn't as afraid. I thought the whole thing was exaggerated. One man could not do so much damage after all, could he? My father did not like that response. He forced me to read and memorize every case file of every death at the hands of Gli Diavolo," Ziva said.

"And that made you afraid?" Tony asked.

Ziva nodded. "I was much more wary after that. I dropped the matter."

"I'm glad you did," Tim said. He would've killed her if she pursued her. He would've killed her and anyone else that got in his way. He was glad that didn't happen. He liked Ziva. He couldn't say that about too many people.

"Well, Gibbs isn't going to walk away now. He's gonna search for this guy to the ends of the Earth if he has to. He won't stop until he finds him," Tony said.

"Where is Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

"Upstairs with Vance and our buddy Kort from the CIA," Tony said.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Tell us what you know about Gli Diavolo," Vance ordered Kort.

"What makes you think I know of such a person?" Kort asked.

"Because you're the CIA. No way does a guy like this exist and you don't know about him. Now answer the question," Gibbs ordered impatiently.

Kort was quiet for several seconds before answering. "He's a killer. He's a highly dangerous assassin called in when someone wants to take out someone big."

"So he's a hit man," Gibbs summed up.

"Technically, I suppose. He is a hired gun, but he's not like many of the clowns that call themselves hit men. Most of them are jokes. If they manage to carry out the hit, they're caught soon afterwards. They either make a mistake or they are betrayed by the ones that hired them. Gli Diavolo is different. He doesn't make mistakes and he makes sure no one sees him except for those he's about to murder. And they don't really count now do they?" Kort asked with a smirk.

"If he's never seen then how does he get paid?" Vance asked. It was possible to pay someone without seeing them, but there would have to be some kind of trail.

"Well, he obviously gets paid through wire transfers, but he somehow manages to circumvent the trace," Kort said.

"So he's not just a killer, he's also a computer genius," Vance surmised.

"Your turn, Director. What do you want with the most notorious assassin in the world? This seems a little above NCIS," Kort said.

"He killed a marine," Gibbs said simply.

Kort raised an eyebrow. "A marine? Just a marine? I don't think so."

"Excuse me?" Gibbs asked with a glare.

"A man like Gli Diavolo isn't going to lower himself by taking on someone as insignificant as a marine. A general or an Admiral, maybe, but a low ranking marine? No, not even for hire. He would consider it an insult to his capabilities. He didn't kill your marine. But a guarantee you that your murderer will drop dead soon, and that will be the work of Gli Diavolo," Kort said seriously.

"You think someone's copying him?" Vance asked.

"Most likely. Unless it's personal. My guess though is that someone stupidly decided to blame him for their murder, and that is gonna be their swan song."

"Either way, we have to find hi. Either he committed a murder or he will. Either way he has to be stopped," Gibbs said.

"Good luck with that one, Gibbs. You're not the first person to try. You probably won't be the last person who ends up dead because of it either. They don't call him 'The Devil' for nothing Gibbs," Kort said before heading out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs made his way downstairs towards his team. "Somebody give me something."

"Um, Boss, we weren't sure what to do without you telling us," Tony said reluctantly.

Gibbs glared in response.

"Well, it's just that we know who we're looking for and we have no idea how to find him," Tony said.

"And since when do you make assumptions about who you're looking for?" Gibbs asked as he continued to glare.

"Uh…" Tony trailed off not knowing what to say.

"I did a background on our victim, Boss. His name's Sergeant Daniel Wilson. He's been stationed at Quantico for the last six months." Tim said.

"When did you do a background check?" Tony asked Tim.

"Probably while you were busy assuming, DiNozzo. Anything else, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"No, not really. He's not married and he doesn't have any family in the area," Tim said.

"Alright, you and Ziva go back to Quantico. See how well he got on with his colleagues. DiNozzo, you're going to work the Gli Diavolo angle. Files on his kills will be arriving soon. You're gonna go through them," Gibbs said.

"Boss, Ziva has all those files memorized. There's no point going through them," Tony whined.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Ziva.

"It is true. My father made me memorize the files. He wanted me to have a healthy fear of the man," Ziva said.

Gibbs turned back to Tony. "And do you think maybe he's killed since then? You're going through them, DiNozzo. I want them all run through with a fine tooth comb. He made a mistake somewhere and I wanna know about it."

Tim resisted the urge to chuckle. Gibbs was wrong. There were no mistakes to be found in those files because he didn't make mistakes. Tony would just be wasting his time going through them.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" Gibbs asked Tim and Ziva.

"Off to Quantico, Boss," Tim said before getting up and leading the way to the elevator.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim and Ziva were in the car on the way to Quantico. Ziva turned to Tim. "Why did you do the background check?"

"Because I knew Gibbs would expect it. Besides, I don't think this is the work Gli Diavolo," Tim said.

"Why not?" Ziva asked.

"Well, not to sound insensitive or anything, but he was just a marine. Why would someone as notorious as Gli Diavolo waste his time with a marine? You told us yourself that he went after powerful people. His targets would be higher up than a marine sergeant," Tim explained.

Ziva considered her friend's words. "You have a point. Someone could be trying to take his work and make it their own. That does not seem like a very smart move."

"No it doesn't, does it? Someone nicknamed 'The Devil' doesn't sound like someone who would let something like that go," Tim said. And he wouldn't let it go. No one was going to copy him. He was not some common serial killer for freaks to idolize and try to become. He was a professional. It was like a writer being plagiarized. It was not something that would be tolerated.

"If we do not find the murderer first, there will be another murder," Ziva said with a shudder.

"You're still afraid. I've gotta say I've never seen you like this. For as long as I've known you, I've never seen you show fear," Tim said. He wasn't really thrilled with her fear of him. He didn't want her to fear him. The others could fear him all they wanted. In fact, he would take great pleasure in it. But not Ziva. He didn't want her to be afraid of him.

"I have always prided myself in not showing it. Fear is a weakness that was not tolerated in my line of work," Ziva said.

"You know, don't take this the wrong way, but it you think about it, your line of work and his are strangely similar," Tim said. He'd always considered them alike. They were both dangerous and they were both killers. True, Ziva had been a government sanctioned killed, but she was a killer just the same.

"Yes, we are both assassins, but he kills for money and he doesn't discriminate. The people I've gone after were dangers to my country or others," Ziva said.

"A killer is a killer, Ziva," Tim said

"It is really that simple for you? You see me in the same league as him?" Ziva asked, sounding kind of insulted.

"Ziva, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with you. I'm just saying that to call him a killer and to say you're not is kind of hypocritical," Tim said. He had no delusions of what he was. He was a murderer. He'd never lied to himself about that fact. He'd never made excuses for it and he'd never apologized for it. He never would. He was what he was and that would never change. But Ziva was one too. It was one of the many things he liked about her.

"I know that I am a killer, McGee, but to me it always seemed different. I was fighting for my country. He chose to kill to make money," Ziva said.

"Every killer has their reasons, and they're usually good to them, but do they really matter? Reasons are just excuses to make people feel better for the things they do," Tim said.

"McGee, I cannot figure out if you are insulting me or complementing him," Ziva said.

"I'm doing neither. Gli Diavolo is a cold blooded killer. I don't mean to insinuate that he's not, and I don't mean to insinuate that you are somehow horrible for the things you've done in the past. I'm just saying that to claim to be better because of your reasons is a croc. You are who you are, Ziva. Own it," Tim said before turning back to the road without another word.

Ziva stared at him for a minute. She was quite surprised and annoyed by his bluntness. He had just accused her of being the same as the man called 'The Devil'. That did not sit well with her. She did not consider herself like him. At least she hadn't until right now when it was thrown in her face in such a way.

Now, Ziva really had to think. Was she like him? Yes, she had her reasons for all the deaths she'd caused while working for Mossad, but as McGee said, everyone had a reason. There was of course the fear Gli Diavolo put into everyone, including Ziva herself, but she caused fear too. Everyone in Israel feared her, and she couldn't help but be glad for it. It gave her a sense of power to know people were afraid of her. So the question was once more, was she really different?


	4. Chapter 4

Tim and Ziva were sitting in an office at Quantico with a Major Jacobs. "Any idea who would hurt Sergeant Wilson?" Tim asked.

"Sergeant Wilson was a good marine. Everyone loved him. Besides, I heard his death was the result of an assassin," Jacobs said.

"How would you hear that?" Ziva asked. None of them had advertised Gli Diavolo as a possible suspect. The only way anyone could know was if they were the killer or they inspected the body.

Major Jacobs sighed. "Alright. Wilson's bunkmate, Corporal Thomas Porter found the body. He saw Wilson holding something and he decided to see what it was."

"He disturbed the body?" Ziva asked annoyed.

"Yeah. I didn't know until after you all left earlier. Anyway, I've been at this job awhile and so have several others. We've been to a lot of places. A lot of us have heard of the one that calls himself Gli Diavolo," Jacobs explained.

"Hence, you assumed he was killed by a professional killer," Tim summed up.

He nodded.

"We are going to have to speak with Corporal Porter. Now, we ask again, is there anyone you know of that had a problem with Sergeant Wilson? Even if he was killed by a professional killer, someone hired that killer," Ziva said.

"Wilson was well liked around here, but there was one guy. He and Wilson didn't get on at all. It all came to a head about a week ago when they came to blows. They were both sanctioned for it," Jacobs said.

"Who is he?" Tim asked.

"Sergeant Gabriel Morgan. He even threatened Wilson," Jacobs said.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim was in an office with Sergeant Morgan. He and Ziva had split up. She went to talk to Wilson's bunkmate while he talked to Morgan. "So Sergeant Morgan, you wanna tell me about your issues with Wilson."

"It wasn't a big deal, okay? It was a misunderstanding," Morgan said.

"A misunderstanding that ended with you threatening Wilson's life?" Tim asked.

"It was just words. Haven't you ever said anything in the heat of the moment that you didn't mean?" Morgan asked.

Tim resisted the urge to smile. The truth was he hadn't. When he said he was gonna kill someone, he usually killed them. "So you're saying your threat was just one of those things you say and don't do?"

"Exactly. Look, I didn't like Wilson, but I didn't kill him," Morgan said.

"You still haven't said what the problem was," Tim reminded him.

"Wilson and I knew each other from before we joined the Marines. I grew up with him and I hated his guts then. It was just the same thing. That night, we were fighting about the past. It was just stupid things, like him stealing my high school girlfriend," Morgan explained.

"So maybe you fought again. Maybe an accident happened," Tim suggested.

"No! Wilson was a jerk, but I didn't hate him enough to kill him!" Morgan said loudly.

"And where were you last night?" Tim asked.

"After I got off duty, I went back to my room and slept, and no, no one can confirm that," Morgan said.

"Alright, thank you for your time. We'll be in touch," Tim said before getting up and walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

By the end of the day, the team was no closer to figuring out who their killer was. Finally, Gibbs dismissed them all for the day.

Tony got his things together before bidding everyone goodnight and heading for the elevator.

Tim and Ziva started to leave a few minutes later. They met up at the elevator. "So are you mad at me?" Tim asked. He knew she might still have issues with him over their last conversation.

"No. I was at first, but I think I was just angry because I knew you were right," Ziva said before the doors opened and they both got inside.

Tim pushed the button for the parking garage and watched as the doors closed. "So I'm right?"

"Yes. I did use my reasons for being an assassin to make myself feel better. I never enjoyed the killings themselves, but I did enjoy the fear I created. In many ways, I am like Gli Diavolo. I do not know how I feel about that though. I always considered myself better than him. I used him as an example of those worse than me. It was how I convinced myself I wasn't horrible," Ziva said.

Tim was irritated by the guilt he began to feel. He didn't do guilt. It was a waste of his time, and in his line of work, it wasn't something he could afford. Yet, somehow, Ziva brought it out in him. He felt bad that he'd made her feel bad. That wasn't his intention. He just wanted her to see herself and him for how they were. He didn't even want her to see him as a good guy because he wasn't a good guy. He just wanted her to have an understanding for what they both really were. The faster she accepted that, the easier it would be for her to survive in his world. Because she was gonna have to if he had it his way.

"I still think there is much to fear from Gli Diavolo. He is a cold blooded killer that would execute anyone in his path if he thought he had to," Ziva said.

"Yes, he is," Tim agreed. Ziva had just described him to a tee. She had him pegged without even knowing his name. He was a cold blooded killer and he would go after anyone in his way. The only real exception was the woman standing next to him right now.

"But I am no longer deluded into thinking that I am somehow less of a killer than he is," Ziva said.

"You wanna go for a drink with me?" Tim asked.

Ziva looked at him. "We are in the middle of a case. Gibbs would bake us."

"Fry us, and I'm not suggesting we get drunk. I just think you could use a drink. I think we both could," Tim said.

"Yes, I think you're right. I could use a drink. I will gladly accept," Ziva said before the elevator stopped and they got out of the car.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim and Ziva were sitting at the bar with beers in front of them laughing. Ziva had just finished telling her a story about growing up in Israel.

"So you broke the guy's arm just because he called your sister a name?" Tim asked intrigued.

"Yes. No one speaks of my family like that. He is lucky that all he got was a broken arm. What about you, McGee. What was it like growing up as a Navy brat," Ziva asked.

"Interesting. My father was very strict. He always insisted on respect and honesty from his family," Tim lied. The truth was that he was not a Navy brat. That was a well-organized lie, as was the rest of everything everyone knew about his past. If they knew the truth, no one would have any problem believing he was a professional killer.

"Well, I am sure every parent expects that," Ziva said.

"Not to that degree though. He treated us more like we were soldiers in his army than anything else. It's part of the reason I don't talk to my father anymore," Tim said. The real reason was of course that his father was dead. The man had been killed when he was around twelve.

"It was mostly the same for me and Ari. My father thought treating us that way would protect us. All it really did was cause Ari to become something he never would've been otherwise. Perhaps if either of us had been there for him more, it wouldn't have happened" Ziva said sadly.

"No one made Ari what he was, Ziva. He choice. You're not responsible for what he became and neither is your father. We make our own choices in this world," Tim said before taking a sip of his beer.

"I know, but I cannot help but wonder if things could've been different. Don't you think about that. Don't you wonder if Kate would be alive if things had been different?" Ziva asked.

"No. I've never seen much point in 'what ifs'. Who do they help really? They don't really change anything. Besides, if I were to do that, I would have to blame Kate. She could've stopped Ari the day she met him, but she hesitated. If she hadn't, she'd still be alive," Tim said.

"I do not know how I feel about that," Ziva said as she took a drink from her beer. While she wished that fiasco hadn't happened, in McGee's scenario, her brother died nearly two years earlier. She did not want to think about that.

"Don't feel anything about it. It doesn't matter. It's not how it happened," Tim said.

Ziva looked at her phone for the time. "We should probably leave. It is getting late."

Tim nodded. "Yeah, okay, let's head out," he said before leaving some money on the bar and leading the way out.

They both walked out of the bar towards the parking lot. "I will see you tomorrow, McGee."

Tim gently grabbed her arm before she could leave. "Hang on. There's something I wanna do first."

"What is it?" Ziva asked in confusion.

Tim didn't answer. He just moved closer to her and gently kissed her on the lips.

Ziva was caught off guard by the action, but before long, she was reciprocating his kiss.

Tim pulled away after a moment. "See you tomorrow," he said with a smirk before walking away and leaving a stunned Mossad officer turned NCIS agent in his wake.


	5. Chapter 5

Ziva made her way into the office very early the next morning. She knew that McGee often came in early as well and she was hoping to talk to him before Tony or Gibbs arrived. She'd spent all night thinking about what happened between the two of them the night before. McGee's kiss had been very unexpected, yet at the same time, it felt right. They really just needed to talk.

Much to Ziva's relief, Tim was there when she got to their work area. "McGee."

Tim smiled up at her. "Hello, Ziva."

"I think that we need to talk," Ziva said.

"Really? About what?" Tim asked with a smirk.

Ziva glared at him. He was toying with her. It was hard to believe that McGee would actually toy with her, but that was what he was doing. "Do not screw with me, McGee. You know what I am talking about," she said before grabbing him by the arm, forcing out of his chair, and pulling him towards the elevator.

Tim chuckled as he let Ziva drag him over to the elevator. He really, really liked this woman. She would fit in very nicely in his world.

Once they were in the elevator and the doors closed, Ziva hit the emergency switch. "Tell me why?"

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to be a little more specific, Ziva," Tim said feigning innocence.

"Ugh! Why did you kiss me?!" Ziva asked in exasperation.

"Oh, that. Well, I would've thought that would be obvious. I like you," Tim said.

"You have never shown any interest in me like that before," Ziva said.

"Maybe I was waiting for the right moment," Tim said.

"But you always seemed to want Abby," Ziva said. McGee had always shown a great deal of interest in Abby. He was almost always around her and he seemed to care for her above everyone else.

Tim resisted the urge to laugh. Like he had any interest in Abby. He spent half the time annoyed with Abby and the other half plotting ways to kill her, and since he was a professional killer, he was able to come up with quite a few ways of doing it. After the whole dog incident, he nearly had killed her. The only thing that stopped him was knowing that Gibbs would go on the warpath. He wasn't afraid of Gibbs or anything, but he just figured it was attention he didn't need.

It was true that Tim had dated Abby at one point, but that was really just something to do. He was a man after all. He had needs. Abby just fulfilled that for a while. Once he'd had enough, he intentionally came on too strong so that she'd break it off. "Appearances can be deceiving, Ziva. Abby and I may have had something at one point, but that was a long time ago."

"So you want to be with me now? Really?" Ziva asked. She was still incredibly surprised

Tim put his hand on her check and gently caressed. "Really? You're an amazing woman, Ziva. Why wouldn't I be interested in you."

"Yesterday, you called me a killer," Ziva said.

"What does one thing have to do with the other," Tim asked before he leaned in and kissed her.

Ziva expected it this time and started kissing back almost immediately. She could not deny that she enjoyed it a lot. She never thought about being with McGee before, but right now she was thoroughly enjoying herself. She could see this working. She could see herself being with McGee. There was only one flaw in it.

Ziva finally pulled away. "What about rule twelve?" Ziva asked.

"What Gibbs doesn't know can't hurt him," Tim said.

"You wish to lie to Gibbs. You are a horrible liar, McGee," Ziva said. She cared about McGee very much and she believed he had a lot of great qualities, but his ability to lie was not one of them.

Tim chuckled. "Ziva, you'll soon learn that there are a lot of things about me that would surprise you," Tim said. He decided he should start showing her his real personality. He wasn't going to tell her who he really was right now, as that would just scare her, but little by little, she was going to learn that he was not the meek little computer geek the rest of them saw.

Ziva couldn't help but be intrigued McGee's words. She thought she knew him, but this was a side to him she'd never seen. She wondered what else there was that she didn't know. "Really. What might those things be?"

"Why ruin the surprise. You'll learn soon enough. That is if you want to," Tim said.

"I…I never really thought about being with you before. Not until you kissed me. I did not see you as my type. But when you kissed me last night, I enjoyed it. I realized that I was quite attracted to you. The same happened again when you kissed me a few moments ago. And from what I've witnessed in the last few moments, you may not be as far from my type as I thought," Ziva said.

Tim smiled. "I think you'll see that I am definitely your type. All I need is a chance to prove it. There are so many things you don't know about me that I know you would love," he said. Then his face became very serious. "But there are also things about me that you may not like. I feel it's only fair for me to warn you about that right now. I'm no one's hero and I never will be."

Ziva was once again taken aback by his bluntness, but she managed to recover quickly. "Do I strike you as the type that needs a hero?"

"No, but I think you expect me to be a certain way just as everyone else does. You're going to be disappointed. You're gonna see a side to me that no one here ever has, and if they're lucky, they never will. You may not like it, but it's who I am and I will change for no one," Tim said in a firm, blunt tone. He cared very much for Ziva, but he was not going to change who he was for anyone, not even her.

"I would never ask you to. I do not want you to be someone you are not. I do not understand why you would even hide who you really are from the others," Ziva said. Actually, she didn't understand a lot. She always thought she knew Tim, but the way he was acting now was so far away from what she knew. The quiet, nervous agent was gone and what was in his place was a man who took what he wanted no matter what and made no apologies to anyone.

"I have my reasons. You'll learn them one day and hopefully you'll be able to accept it. No matter what happens though, know that you're safe with me," Tim said. He wanted her to be assured of that so that when she did learn who he really was, she wouldn't be so afraid of hm.

"I…I barely know how to respond to this," Ziva said as she continued to try to wrap her head around the fact that the person she was having this conversation with was actually Timothy McGee.

"Then don't. Take some time and figure out what you want to do. I'm a patient man. All I ask is that you don't share this conversation with anybody," Tim said.

"Of course. I will not say anything," Ziva promised.

"Good. We should head back now," Tim said before flipping the emergency switch again and allowing the elevator to start up again.


	6. Chapter 6

The day passed without any real leads to the investigation. It was spent mostly checking out alibies and looking into backgrounds, none of which led anywhere. The only thing they really discovered was that their victim was killed with a pocket knife.

Once they were dismissed for the day, Tim went back to his place. Not the apartment his teammates knew of. He had a very large property in the middle of the woods that he'd bought under an assumed name. That was where he went.

When Tim got to his house, he was that there were lights on inside. He took his gun from the glove compartment and went inside. If he had to kill someone, he wasn't going to use his service weapon. That would be like begging to be caught.

"If you're a burglar, you're going to soon realize you picked the wrong place to rob! If you're Sarah, I suggest getting out here now!" Tim called throughout the house.

Footsteps were heard and soon Sarah revealed herself. "Do you have to be so dramatic?"

Tim put the gun away and gave her an irritated look. "What did I say about coming here without letting me know first? I could've shot you."

Sarah scoffed. "Oh, please, you knew it was me."

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you until this weekend," Tim said. Like him, Sarah had an apartment to keep up appearances, but she quite liked reaping the benefits of his work whenever she could, so she stayed with him at least a couple of nights per week.

"When you decided to take a job without informing your sister," Sarah retorted.

"How'd you find out about that?" Tim asked as he took his jacket off. They'd been keeping all information about a possible assassin being responsible for the murder a secret, so Sarah should not have heard about it.

"Well, there's this guy from Quantico…"

"Do I have to kill someone?" Tim asked sounding inconvenienced at the prospect of it.

"Ugh! Why do you have to threaten every single one of my boyfriends?" Sarah asked annoyed.

"Because I'm your brother and that's what brothers do," Tim said as he walked down the hall and into a very spacious living room. The room alone could've filled his entire apartment. It had a black leather couch, a matching loveseat, two recliners on either side of the couch, a coffee table in the middle, and a large screen TV hanging from the wall.

Sarah followed her brother. "Yeah, well, most brothers wouldn't really kill their sister's boyfriends. You, my homicidal brother, would."

"Sure would. That sailor you dated is lucky his new girlfriend got to him before I did," Tim said in a lethal voice as he sat down on the couch.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Anyway, back to the guy you killed."

"Sarah, do you really think I killed a freaking marine? Do you really think anyone who wanted to hire someone to kill a simple marine would have the money to put me on retainer?" Tim asked.

"Well, no, but I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to impersonate you either," Sarah said as she sat down on the loveseat. Anyone who knew what her brother was should know better than to do something that stupid. That was just asking to be killed.

"Yeah, well, it seems that as the years go on, people are getting dumber and dumber. Someone did impersonate me," Tim said.

"I guess someone's gonna die then," Sarah said with a shrug. Many might think she was unfeeling, and she supposed that was true for the most part, but she'd lived with this her whole life. Her family was never normal. Her father was a killer and he'd passed that onto her brother, who killed with even more ruthlessness. It was hard to care when it was the way it had always been. As long as she didn't have to participate, she was good with what her brother was.

"As soon as I figure out who it was," Tim said.

"What about your team? They're obviously looking for you, even if they don't know it," Sarah said.

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think they'll find me?"

"They should probably pray they don't," Sarah said. Anyone who had ever discovered or come close to discovering her brother's identity, turned up dead. The people he worked with would be no exception.

Tim smirked. "I can't figure out if I want them to figure it out or not though. I'd kind of really like to kill Tony and Abby. Wouldn't mind whacking Gibbs either, but those two have me have coming up with all sorts of new ways to commit murder."

"I noticed you omitted someone there. Have you told Ziva you like her yet?" Sarah asked. She knew her brother liked Ziva from the moment she met her, probably before he even realized it. He might be able to lie to everyone else, including himself, but he couldn't lie to her.

"Okay, you just made that sound like we're in high school. I am a…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're a dangerous killer who could take out anyone anywhere. No need to go through all that. So did you tell her?" Sarah asked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes," Tim said.

"So how much does she know?" Sarah asked.

"She doesn't know anything. I've begun to show her bits of my real personality, but that's it. If she decides to be with me, I'll eventually have to tell, but not until I'm sure I can trust her," Tim said. As much as he liked Ziva, he wasn't going to reveal himself to her until he was sure she could handle and he was sure she wouldn't sell him out.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Did you just use the 'T' word?"

Tim rolled his eyes.

"You did. You just used the word 'trust' without scoffing. Be careful, big brother. I think you're becoming a human being," Sarah teased. Truthfully, her brother could be human. He just reserved it for select people. In fact, until now, she was the only one he acted that way with unless it was an act. It seemed Ziva would soon be joining her though.

"You're lucky you're my sister. Anyone else who annoyed me to the same degree would be dead," Tim said.

Sarah laughed. "Yet Tony and Abby still live."

"They live for the moment because killing half my team would create problems I don't need. Trust me, if I was sure I could've done it without drawing attention to myself, they both would've been dead years ago," Tim said. Both Tony and Abby had given him ample reason to want to kill them. It was just lucky for them that he didn't react on impulse. He thought things through and planned for every outcome. Killing them now left the possibility of a bad outcome for him. A few moments of pleasure was not worth the possible bad outcome. So for now, they lived.

Sarah shook her head and chuckled. "You know, I don't know how you go into work every day and not laugh your freaking head off. Your coworkers are just so stupid. They think you're this nice, gullible little wimp while you're thinking of new and creative ways to kill them."

"I prefer to think of it as that I'm just that good at lying," Tim said.

"Well, you are a good liar, I'll give you that," Sarah said as she stood up. "Now come on. I got dinner."

"If you think I'm eating anything you tried to cook, you're crazy. I'm not that big a risk taker," Tim said.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Like I'd cook for you. The little woman in the kitchen thing is so not happening with me. I got Chinese."

"Oh, well, in that case, let's go eat," Tim said before getting up and following his sister towards the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

Tim made his way to Abby's lab. The last thing he wanted to do was spend any time in Abby's lab. That usually only ended with him having to suppress the urge to murder the young Goth. However, Gibbs had insisted he go down and see if she had anything, so Tim played the dutiful agent and went down.

Unsurprisingly, Abby's music was blaring to the point where most normal people would've gone deaf if exposed to it for too long. Abby was of course dancing to the music in the middle of the lab.

"Abby!" Tim yelled.

Abby must not have heard him because she didn't respond or stop what she was doing.

Tim walked towards her and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

Abby yelped and took a step back. When she turned around and saw who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief. She immediately went over and turned the music down. "Timmy, don't do that! You scared the hell out of me. I swear, you nearly killed me."

Tim resisted the urge to snort. If Abby only knew how many times he'd nearly killed her. "Gibbs sent me down. Do you have anything for us?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I was gonna call Gibbs when…"

"When you were done?" Tim asked with a smirk.

"When the song was over. Anyway, so I've been looking at tons of knives that could've caused the injuries to Sergeant Wilson," Abby said as she pointed to the display table that was filled with different knives.

"And since you said you have something, I'm going to assume you found the right one," Tim said.

Abby smiled and picked up a small pocket knife. "This is your murder weapon, McGee. Well, it's a model of your murder weapon anyway," Abby said.

Tim took the knife and opened it up. The blade itself was kind of small, even if it was sharp. "Wow. A lot of damage for such a small knife."

"Yeah, the blade might be tiny, but it's really sharp. This is what did it. I'm sure of it," Abby said.

"I'm not questioning you, Abs," Tim said. Abby might be so irritating and infuriating that he considered murdering her about a dozen times a day, but she knew her forensics. He couldn't deny that.

"Good. Oh, one more thing. This knife is pretty common in the Marine Corps," Abby said."

"Huh. So our murderer is another marine," Tim said. He wasn't surprised by it. Quantico was filled with marines after all. The odds were in favor of one of them doing it

"So I guess this means that serial killer didn't do it," Abby said.

Tim fumed on the inside. He hated being called a serial killer. He was not a damned serial killer. That was an insult to what he was. He was hired killer. He ran a business and he ran it well. He was not some idiot who felt compelled to kill and then basically broadcast it to everyone. To compare him to that was a huge insult. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"The killer must be trying to divert attention off himself by putting it on this other maniac. It worked a little, I guess. Gibbs has been a bit preoccupied with trying to find this killer. I think he's gonna become Gibbs' new obsession," Abby said.

"That would be a mistake," Tim said. Gibbs did not want to become obsessed with him. He didn't want to do it because it could draw attention to him that he didn't need, but he would kill Gibbs if he had to. He would not be discovered.

"Yeah, I know. When I think about Gibbs getting obsessed, all I can think about is Ari. That ended really bad," Abby said.

"To be fair, Ari was obsessed with Gibbs too," Tim said. He considered both Ari and Gibbs to be fools for the way they went at each other. Ari's obsession with Gibbs was what got him killed. He let things get too personal. You never let it get personal. That was just sloppy and dangerous. Gibbs was no better though. He let it get too personal too. He fueled Ari's obsession, maybe even caused it. When he learned Ari was Mossad, he should've just left it alone. Instead he arranged to meet with Ari and even shot him. It was stupid and it might very well have been the reason Ari went after Gibbs and killed Kate.

"And this killer's even more dangerous. I'm scared for Gibbs. I don't think he's gonna let this go," Abby said.

"I think you just might be right, Abby. I think one way or another, Gibbs and Gli Diavolo are destined to have a confrontation," Tim said before heading towards the door. "And it will be deadly."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim was in Sergeant Wilson's room searching it. It had already been searched, but not by him, and he preferred to do things himself. He might even find something the others hadn't.

Tim of course made sure no one saw or heard him come in. Most people wouldn't be able to sneak onto a secure military base undetected, but he wasn't most people. He had plenty of experience getting in and out of places undetected.

The first thing Tim did was put on a pair of black gloves. It wouldn't do to leave his fingerprints on everything. Then he started searching Sergeant Wilson's things for any evidence that could point to the marine that killed him. He searched the sack of clothes by the bed closest to the door. He found a bunch of clothes, some pictures and a couple of letters. He read the first paragraph of the first letter and then put it aside. It was just a love letter from his girlfriend.

Tim looked around and spotted another sack near the other bed across the room. He could only assume it belonged to Wilson's bunkmate, Corporal Porter.

Tim shrugged and went over to the other bag. He figured it was a good idea to check Porter's things. He was a good viable suspect. He was the one that 'found' the body after all. He could very well have committed the murder.

Tim dumped the contents of the bag on Porter's bed. The first thing he noticed was a small pocket knife, much like the one Abby had shown him earlier. He picked it up and looked at it. It was almost identical. "My, my, my, this does not look good for the Corporal.

Tim put the knife down and decided to continue looking. The knife was evidence, but Abby had said it was a common marine knife. That meant that Porter probably wasn't the only one that had one.

He rummaged through the clothes and came across some papers that looked like they were printed from the computer. Tim examined the papers. It was research on a handful of notorious killers. He was the third one researched.

Tim shook his head at the sheer stupidity of Corporal Porter. He'd actually obtained printed research on the killer he'd framed for murder and left it lying around for anyone to find. It was sloppy and yet another reason Tim was going to kill him. Porter had not only tried to frame him, he'd done it after doing a terrible job at covering his own tracks.

Tim quickly put everything the way he had it and headed out of the room. It was time for him to go now. He had a murder to plan.


	8. Chapter 8

Tim was in his house in the woods loading a gun. He was getting ready to execute his plan to kill Porter. He'd already made an anonymous call to Porter telling him he knew what he did and needed to meet with him. He used a disposable phone of course, which he'd already destroyed. No one could ever accuse him of being sloppy.

After loading the gun, Tim put a silencer on it. He doubted anyone would hear the murder where he planned to commit it, but he would be prepared just in case.

Tim soon heard his cellphone ring. The one he had for the people he worked with. He had different cells for different people. He had one for the team, one for Sarah, and the then of course there was his other work phone.

He picked up the phone and answered it. "McGee."

"_Hello, McGee. It is Ziva."_

A smile immediately hit Tim's face. "Well, hello, Ziva. What can I do for you?"

"_I would like for us to talk. I have a few errands I need to run, but I am hoping you will come by my apartment later," _Ziva said.

"Sure, Ziva. How about around nine?" Tim asked. It was just after six now. That gave about three hours to take care of Porter and clean up the mess. It shouldn't be that difficult.

"_That would be fine. I will see you then," _Ziva said.

"I'll see you then," Tim said before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim sat in his car by the woods. Not the woods by his house though. He wasn't that stupid. He was about twenty minutes out.

Tim watched as a man approached. His car was hidden, so the man couldn't see Tim, but Tim could see him. It was definitely Porter.

Tim watched as Porter walked into the woods. He then grabbed his gun from the passenger seat and got out of the car. He followed Porter deep into the woods.

Porter stopped suddenly when he heard a noise. "Who's there?"

Tim stayed hidden a second for affect and then made his presence known.

"Hey, I know you. You were on base a couple of days ago with the chick that questioned me. You're a navy cop," Porter said.

"Technically, I guess that's true. And technically, you're a murderer. Actually, it's a little more than technical, isn't it?" Tim asked.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Porter said unconvincingly.

Tim started laughing loudly. "You really are an idiot. Seriously, you've got to be the sloppiest killer I've ever come across, and I've come across a lot. You left evidence lying around your room, you moron. You didn't even put up a decent effort in covering it up."

"I…It was an accident," Porter said, taking on a new tactic.

Tim laughed again. "Oh, really? You accidently stabbed a fellow marine several times with your knife and then accidently tried to pawn it off on a known assassin? I find that hard to believe. Truthfully though, I don't care. I don't care why you did it. I'm not here to collar you."

"Right. You're the one that called me. What do you want? I don't have any money," Porter said.

"I don't want your money. I've got more than enough of that," Tim said before raising his weapon. "What I want is simple. To put a bullet in your brain."

Porter's eyes widened in horror. "W…what? No, please don't. Just take me in. I'll confess!"

"Yeah, I can't do that. You see, I don't tolerate being impersonated," Tim said.

"Y…you… you're…"

"That's right. I am the one referred to as Gli Diavolo. And you impersonated the wrong person. You really should've chosen someone else from your list of killers because choosing was tantamount to signing your own death certificate," Tim said with a smirk.

"N…no, please don't. I'm sorry. I swear, I'll confess. I won't tell anyone about you. Just please don't do this," Porter begged.

"Sorry, no can do. You see, even if I could let it go personally that you impersonated me, I'm still presented with a problem. You see, I have a certain reputation throughout the world. People see me as a cold blooded killer who will get rid of anyone in my way. I strike fear in anyone who knows who I am. Now if I let a pathetic hack like you get away with copying me, I send a message. I say it's okay to screw me over. That anyone can do what they want to me and I'll let it go. But If I kill you, I also send a message. I say that playing games with me ends in death every single time. No one will ever cross me again because they know what'll happen to them. Now, care to take a guess on what message I wanna send?" Tim asked with a sadistic grin.

Porter shuddered. Then he did the only thing he could think of. He ran."

Tim immediately fired his gun and shot Porter in the leg. It was an intentional hit. He didn't kill right away when they ran. He was no coward. He looked his victims in the eyes when he killed them.

Porter howled in pain and fell to the ground. He tried to crawl further away, but the pain was too much and he knew he wouldn't get far anyway.

Tim walked casually over to Porter and kicked him onto his back so he could look at him. "You guys always run. Never mind that there's no chance of you actually getting away. I guess it's a fight or flight reflex. You can't fight, so you run. See if it were me, I would fight, but then again, I would probably win, so it's not really a fair comparison, is it? Well, anyway, I suppose we should just finish this, huh? I do have another engagement and I would hate to be late for it," Tim said.

"P…Please," Porter begged. He knew it was useless. He was in front of a cold blooded murderer with no soul. But he had to try. His life was at stake and he was terrified. He couldn't help but beg to be spared, even if it was futile.

"Goodbye, Corporal," Tim said before firing the gun a second time and hitting Porter straight between the eyes, killing him instantly.

When it was done, Tim put the gun away and looked at his watch. It was seven thirty. He had an hour and a half to get rid of the evidence before he had to meet Ziva. He would have to hustle. Many would call him a cold bloody bastard for going to meet a woman just after killing a man and well… they would be right.


End file.
